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'Song writing is in my blood'- Shean
Shean Dharmaratne, the former Dream Team frontline vocalist is a singer that can be called "SOLID".

The performances at the 'Little Hut', 'Blue Leopard' and many concerts that he sang for are truly memorable. After being along with the popular Band "Dream Team" more than four years, he has moved on to an experimental stage of song-writing talent management and working on his debut album for Sri Lanka.

"I cannot say this is going to be something new, because it's not. Haven't they done it all?" He smiles. But definitely this material is going to rock the Island. "But I cannot call this my style" he explains, "I love to do an alternate album but due to lack of players and resources, I decided to do hip hop album for Sri Lanka"

He will be working along with T1 Production Team with Asitha Attanayake, Rajive De Silva and Agra for his debut album. Shean also contributed his singing to two songs on the first ever original Christmas Album. This album titled "Soul Christmas", which will be aired in the season. This was featured on T.V. Times last week.

"We are also experimenting on a few new grooves and will be airing it in the local radio stations to see what response we shall receive", he added.

When asked about his future ambitions, "Well...I'm having an offer in Dubai with the band Aquarius on hold, I want to sacrifice a little good fortune for the sake of originality and the passion to collaborate, write and do original music. But any chance I get to do any show along with some good musicians I'll jump at the opportunity. "But I'm a bit worn-out of the fact that senior musicians try to trample upcoming artistes and musicians...I can be on any stage and perform with any band of any calibre. But I have proved myself in an international stage and I don't have anything or anyone to prove myself to here". And he praises Benji Ranabahu for believing in him and his abilities as a frontline singer and Malcolm Perera and the "Dream Team".

"I will be doing a few appearances with a few Bands but I'm relaxing after two hectic years of night club performances. No not money-wise, tempting musically like a rock show or something" he stretches and smiles.

"While I'm here I want to do something solid...and something for the fans and the audience here in Sri Lanka.", he said.

New Film books from AFC
'Film Annual '98', a sixth film annual published by Asian Film Centre was released yesterday.

It contains all details of films screened in Sri Lanka during the year 1998. The number of local films and artistes, synopsis, technical and box office details, excerpts of reviews are featured in this book. Discussing short films that were produced in 1998, foreign films released in Sri Lanka, films screened by various diplomatic missions, foreign film festivals held in Sri Lanka, local cinema functions, film festivals held for local films, Sri Lankan films participated in foreign film festivals, workshops and symposia, lectures, literature on cinema, artistes technicians who died in 1998. Films certified by the Public Performance Board and many more details pertaining to the film scene in 1998 is included in this book.

It's a must for all involved in film industry, amateurs, film journalists, students of films and to many others interested in films.

Film Annual '98 is Edited by Ranjanee Ratnavibushana and Thusitha Jayasundara. This 136-page publication is priced at Rs 150/= per copy.

Meanwhile the latest issue of the Cinesith Magazine is now available and should be of interest to discerning movie buffs, serious students of film as an art and industry and the general cinema going in 5ri Lanka.

This journal is the only serious Sinhala language film journal in continuous publication in Sri Lanka. Cinesith provides quality feature articles as a range of subjects from local and foreign writers, film and book reviews, interviews with local and foreign film makers and technicians and news about the local films. High publishing standards with ample photographs and illustrations will be a hallmark of this journal.

Cover story written by the Gamini Wijetunga is critical article about the acting in cinema. Cinema books reviewed by Praneeth Abeysundara and film reviews -Purahanda Kaluwara, Anantha Rathriya, Wooden Dolls by Gamini Wijethunga and Me Mage Sandai by Darshana Liyanage. It includes comprehensive interviews with Prasanna Paranavithana about importance of stillphotography by Ajith Galappaththi and with Tikiri Ratnayake about his first feature Purasakmana by Thusitha Jayasundara. It also contains an article on Film Script Writing based on a lecture by Girish Kasarawalli and translated by M. D. Mahindapala.
Notes of world renown Indian cinematographer Subthra Mithra's and translation of Cinest interview with famous film critic Polin Keel also included in this issue.
This is the last issue of incisive film critic, cinema analyst and sociologist Gamini Wijethunga (President of the Asian Film Centre) contributed. Cinesith is editored by Ashley Rathnavibushana.

The International Film Journal from Sri Lanka
The Asian Film Centre announced recently about the publication of CINESITH, a new English language bi-annual international film journal in Sri Lanka.

Issue number two is now available and should be of interest to discerning movie buffs, serious students of film as an art and industry and the general cinema-going public both in Sri Lanka and around the world.

Edited by Robert Crusz, a writer and filmmaker and a former member of the editorial boards of the British-based international film journals FRAMEWORK and SCREEN. Cinesith is the sister publication of the long-established Sinhalese language publication with the same name. Cinesith (Sinhala) was initially launched by the Sri Lanka branch of the OCIC in 1985 and came under the purview of the Asian Film Centre in 1993 and continues to be edited by its founder-editor Ashley Ratnavibushana. Today this journal is the only serious Sinhala language film journal in continuous publication in Sri Lanka. The English Cinesith has Ashley Ratnavibushana as its Associate Editor with Ranjanee Ratnavibushana as Co-ordinator.

Published in response to numerous requests from abroad for a serious English language film journal from Sri Lanka, which matches the quality of the original Cinesith, the English CINESITH will provide quality feature articles on a range of subjects from local and foreign writers, film and book reviews, interviews with local and foreign film-makers, actors and technicians, and news about the local film and television scene. High publishing standards with ample photographs and illustrations will be a hallmark of this journal.

The two issues published to date feature articles and reviews by writers such as Sunila Abeysekara,Wimal Dissanayake, Shoma Chatterji, Kavaloor Rajadurai, Richard Boyle, Robert Crusz, Sunny Joseph, Neloufer de Mel and Tissa Abeysekera.

The subject matter of the critical articles range from the Indian Panorama, the film-maker Buddhadeb Das Gupta, Turkish Cinema, War and the Sinhala Cinema of the 1990's, to issues such as Darkness, Light and Cinematography.


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